This morning’s key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com
- Another horrific bomb attack targets Shias in Quetta, Pakistan
- Bombing targets the Hazara ethnic group in Quetta, Pakistan
- Federal Communications Commission warns of a zombie attack
- Administration moves to expand drone use within America
- Gun control opponents wonder about massive DHS ammunition buildup
- Hey Baby! Singapore wants you to have more kids
Another horrific bomb attack targets Shias in Quetta, Pakistan
Site of the vegetable market turned into a war zone in Quetta on Saturday (AFP)
A large water tanker, filled not with water but with 800 kg ofexplosives, exploded in a crowded vegetable market after it was placednear a pillar in a two-story building, causing the building tocollapse and killing at least 79 people, while injuring hundredsothers in Quetta, Pakistan. Many of the injured are in criticalcondition, and many others are still trapped beneath the collapsedbuilding. This is the second horrific bomb attack this year targetingShia Muslims in Quetta. The last one occurred on January 10, killingover 120. (See “13-Jan-13 World View — Shia families in Quetta Pakistan refuse to bury bombing victims”)
The al-Qaeda linked terror group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi has claimed creditfor both bombing in Quetta. As we’re written in the past,Lashkar-e-Jhangvi targets Shia and Sufi shrines in Pakistan andAfghanistan. In addition, it’s connected to Jundullah, a terroristgroup that has perpetrated major attacks on Shia mosques andRevolutionary Guard stations in southeastern Iran. The year 2012 wasthe bloodiest year ever for Shia Muslims targeted by Sunni Muslimterrorists, and already it seems that 2013 is going to be much worse.AFP
Bombing targets the Hazara ethnic group in Quetta, Pakistan
Although an absolute minority, the Hazaras are the third largestethnic group in Afghanistan, after the Pashtuns and Tajiks. Accordingto some reports, in 1998, the Taliban killed more than ten thousandsHazaras in Afghanistan’s northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif. Hazaras areShia Muslims who migrated to Pakistan from Afghanistan more than acentury ago. They’ve been the victims of discrimination and numerousatrocities, and mass killings in Pakistan have been on the increasesince 1999. After the January 10 bombings, furious Hazaras demandedthat Pakistan’s government in Islamabad provide protection to theHazaras, but no such protection has been provided. Daily Times (Pakistan) and AP
Federal Communications Commission warns of a zombie attack
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is using itsEmergency Alert System (EAS) to warn residents of Montanaof a potentially dangerous zombie attack:
“Civil authorities in your area have reported that thebodies of the dead are rising from their graves and attacking theliving. Follow the messages onscreen that will be updated asinformation become available. Do not attempt to approach orapprehend these bodies as they are considered extremelydangerous.”
Television stations that broadcasted the alert later issuedretraction:
“This message did not originate from KRTV, and thereis no emergency. Our engineers are investigating to determine whathappened and if it affected other media outlets.”
What happened is that hackers attacked the FCC’s Emergency AlertSystem and posted the alert. The FCC has issued an urgent advisory totelevision states to change passwords, but this will do little to stopanother attack. This is just one more place where the technologicalinfrastructure is vulnerable to easy attack from hackers or fromforeign nations. Reuters and Information Week
Administration moves to expand drone use within America
The Administration has approved legislation that is expected toimmediately accelerate the use of domestic surveillance drones withinthe United States. According to the schedules, drones are likely tostart flying regularly in the US by late 2015, and as many as 30,000non-military drones are expected to be in the sky by the end of thedecade. The US Department of Homeland Security already has an arsenalof the aircraft at its disposal for use in border-patrolmissions. Russia Today
Gun control opponents wonder about massive DHS ammunition buildup
Gun control opponents, already on edge fearing Administration-ledattempts to keep law-abiding citizens from owning guns, are nowwondering why the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is stockpilingmore than 1.6 billion bullets — equivalent to the number of bulletsthat would have been needed in the Iraq war for a full 24 years. Inaddition, DHS is acquiring 7,000 assault weapons. Activists worryabout a DHS report that warns of “rightwing extremism,” while DHS isrefusing to provide any explanation for the massive buildup of assaultweapons and ammunition. Investors Business Daily
Hey Baby! Singapore wants you to have more kids
A new scheme by the government of Singapore to increase populationthrough immigration and increased birth rates is being described as awith 3.3 million citizens and 2 million foreign residents, buteconomic growth has been slowing. So Singapore wants to boostprosperity by increasing both immigration and the birth rate, to havea population of 6.9 million by 2030, and plans to reclaim land fromthe sea to have room for more people. But like a financial Ponzischeme, a “population Ponzi scheme” works only as long as thepopulation increases faster and faster. This creates a financialbubble that pops when the population growth stalls. On Saturday,thousands of people staged one of Singapore’s largest ever protests,demanding that the proposal be dropped. Protesters blame the flood offoreigners over the past decade for stagnant wages, crowded trains andrising real estate prices, and say that more immigrants would changethe very nature of the island. Bloomberg and Reuters and Hey Baby! Singapore site encouraging children
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